Tolkien was very glad to hear from his son because he had guessed that something untoward had happened to him in France. He could deeply sympathize with the horror of his arrival for he had had similar sufferings, especially between 1917 and 1925. Christopher had left about the same time as Prisca went to Crete, but her trip had been the most successful she had ever made. Tolkien felt the tug of desire to see places but feared that he must now live on travellers' tales.

He had been under unending pressure: social, literary, professional, and financial. He had had a Bournemouth vacation from May 16 through 22 and had seen good friends, the Tolhursts. He mentioned several friends who had died, including Warren Lewis, Tom Dunning, R.B. McCallum, and Rosfrith Murray.